Vegan minced meat substitute with a texture very similar to ground beef. Made with black beans, tofu and lentils. A real protein bomb with a nutty taste! Perfect in sauces.
The texture of this minced meat substitute is really similar to ground meat, especially in sauces. However, the taste is quite different. This is just a gently warning that this substitute doesn't taste 1 to 1 like meat, in case that's what you're looking for. The taste is slightly nutty, especially if you add the sesame oil. Personally, I think it gives any recipe a nice twist. Also feel free to use any spices you like and make this recipe yours!
How to use this vegan minced meat substitute
Here are some recipe ideas that usually contain meat that you can easily transform into a vegan dish by using this vegan minced meat substitute.
- Bolognese sauce: it is well-known that every family has a favorite tomato sauce. I'm not saying that by using this minced meat substitute to make your family Bolognese sauce, it will come close to your childhood memories. But who knows, maybe the sauce using this substitute will become a new family favorite?
- Chili sin carne: perfect to make a meat free chili that is not only loaded with veggies but also has that really nice minced texture.
- Stuffed peppers or zucchini boats: whether you stuff them solely with this minced meat substitute, combined with rice or with tomato sauce, this should be a hit!
- Wraps: give your wrap filling some bite by adding this meat substitute and increase its protein content.
- Vegetable stir fry: why not bring your vegetable stir fry to the next level by adding this minced meat substitute?
High in protein
This recipe combines three plant-based ingredients that are high in protein to make the perfect minced meat substitute.
- Black beans: 5 g protein/100 g
- Firm tofu: 9 g protein/100 g
- Red lentils: 12 g protein/100 g
To give you a direct comparison, ground beef contains approximately 20 g protein/100 g.
More vegan recipes here
The recipe
Vegan minced meat substitute
Ingredients
- 200 g canned black beans* dry weight
- 200 g firm tofu
- 50 g coral lentils dry weight
- 3 teaspoon sweet or smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoon cumin
- 1 pinch of salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
Optional
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
Instructions
- Start by cooking the lentils according to the instructions on the packaging. Stop cooking a little before the indicated time, so that they are "al dente" (ten minutes were sufficient in my case). Rinse them under cold water when they are done.
- While the lentils are cooking, crumble the tofu over a bowl with your hands.
- Drain the black beans. Add them to the tofu.
- Now, add the lentils to the mixture.
- Use a whisk to mix and crush the ingredients. Continue until you get a grainy, chopped-like mix.
- Finally add the spices and whisk again.
- In a frying pan, coated with olive oil, fry the mixture over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes. The mix should become drier and firmer.
J’ai suivi la recette quasiment à la lettre, j’ai « juste » remplacé le tofu par des protéines de soja texturées (PST pour les intimes) que j’avais préalablement réhydratées avant de les intégrer à la préparation.
Malgré ma petite adaptation, j’ai trouvé ce substitut vraiment bon et cela m’a permis de manger mes haricots rouges autrement que dans des chili sin carne ! Je recommande cette recette les yeux fermés !
Thank you so much Elodie! I'm so glad you loved this recipe and were able to replace the tofu with rehydrated textured soy protein (TSP)! Your feedback is always helpful to other readers😊 Have a great day!